The railroad industry employs a variety of auto-rack railroad cars for transporting newly-manufactured vehicles such as automobiles, vans and trucks. Auto-rack railroad cars, known in the railroad industry as auto-rack cars, often travel thousands of miles through varying terrain. One typical type of auto-rack car is compartmented, having two or three floors or decks, two sidewalls, a pair of doors at each end, and a roof. Newly manufactured vehicles are loaded into and unloaded from an auto-rack car for transport by a person (sometimes called a “loader”) who drives the vehicles into or out of the auto-rack car.
One problem with auto-rack cars is the potential for damage to newly manufactured vehicles. This damage can occur to vehicles being transported in the auto-rack car due to the unwanted movement of one or more of the transported vehicles not adequately secured in the auto-rack car. Over the years, various vehicle restraint systems have been developed for securing the vehicles transported in auto-rack cars to prevent movement or shifting of those vehicles during transportation.
One widely commercialized vehicle restraint system for restraining vehicles transported in auto-rack cars is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063, which are sometimes referred to herein as the Holden patents. This vehicle restraint system utilizes four restraints, one associated with each of the four wheels of a vehicle being transported. Each vehicle restraint of this vehicle restraint system is sometimes referred to herein as the Holden Restraint. Each Holden Restraint is detachably secured to a grating provided on a support surface of the auto-rack car. After driving the vehicle into the auto-rack car, the loader positions one of the restraints adjacent to each wheel of the vehicle. Prior to unloading the transported vehicles at their destination, a different loader removes these vehicle restraints from the positions adjacent to the wheels. If the vehicle restraints are left on the floor or gratings of the auto-rack car when vehicles are being loaded or unloaded, the vehicles can run over these vehicle restraints and cause damage to the vehicles as well as to these vehicle restraints. It is therefore very important that the vehicle restraints are moved out of the way of the vehicles when the vehicle restraints are not in use (i.e., not restraining a vehicle) to prevent this damage to the vehicles (moving into or out of the auto-rack car) as well as to prevent damage to these vehicle restraints. Typically, when not in use each vehicle restraint is placed in a storage pan that is secured to one of the side walls of the auto-rack car. One such storage pan is shown in the Holden patents. Storage pans are widely commercially employed in auto-rack cars.
It is important that the stored chocks are securely held in their respective stored positions during normal movement of an empty auto-rack car (i.e., one that is not transporting vehicles) and also during switching in a railroad yard where the auto-rack cars are coupled and decoupled with other railroad cars in different freight trains. During the coupling action, severe jolts of up to 8 to 10 miles per hour can be incurred by the auto-rack car even though regulations (and signs in the railroad yards and on the railroad cars) limit the speed to no more than 4 miles per hour.
While the above described vehicle restraint system has been widely commercialized, in many instances this vehicle restraint system does not adequately protect the vehicles or prevent the movement of the vehicles and does not prevent damage to the vehicles or the vehicle restraints themselves. Certain of the problems with these commercially implemented vehicle restraints are explained in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0232919, filed Mar. 14, 2008, published Sep. 25, 2008, and which is sometimes referred to herein as the Anderson Application. The automobile industry and the railroad industry have sought new and improved vehicle restraint systems that solve these problems.
One new vehicle restraint system that is currently being tested is disclosed in the Anderson Application. This new vehicle restraint system includes chocks that also attach to the grating. These chocks are sometimes referred to herein as the Anderson Chock(s). The Anderson Chocks are substantially different than the Holden Restraints disclosed in the Holden patents. It is anticipated that these new vehicle chocks will soon be commercially employed in auto-rack cars.
FIGS. 28, 29, 32 to 35, 38, 39, and 43 to 46 of the Anderson Application illustrate one embodiment of the Anderson Chock, which includes storage clasps configured to enable that chock to be stored in the commercially implemented storage pan for holding the Holden Restraint.
FIGS. 47 to 57 of the Anderson Application illustrate another embodiment of Anderson Chock that does not include these storage clasps. FIGS. 58 to 60 of Anderson Application disclose a bracket for assisting to hold the Anderson Chock in the commercially implemented storage pan for the Holden Restraint and which is attached to a side wall of an auto-rack railroad car. One concern with these brackets is that they can be lost or removed, especially if a Holden Restraint is stored in this storage pan and this bracket is not needed.
It is anticipated that when the Anderson Chock becomes widely commercially employed, that: (a) certain auto-rack cars that currently include the Holden Restraints will still only be equipped with these Holden Restraints, (b) certain auto-rack cars that currently include the Holden Restraints will be equipped with the Anderson Chocks, (c) certain auto-rack cars will include both the Holden Restraints and the Anderson Chocks, and (d) it is possible that Anderson Chocks in certain auto-rack cars will be replaced with Holden Chocks. It should thus be appreciated that the various combinations of use of these different chocks in auto-rack cars are expected to occur in the future. It is also known that additional vehicle restraints or chocks that are configured to be attached to the gratings are being developed. If these additional chocks are commercially implemented, the variety and combinations of different chocks in auto-rack cars will significantly increase.
One problem with the commercially implemented storage pan employed for the Holden Restraint is that it is not well suited to securely hold all of these different vehicle wheel restraints or chocks when such restraints or chocks are not in use. The railroads and automobile manufacturers do not want to replace the storage devices for these chocks every time they employ different vehicle wheel restraints or chocks in an auto-rack railroad car.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device configured to hold the multiple different types of vehicle restraints or chocks in auto-rack cars including the Holden Restraints, Anderson Chocks, and other commercialized restraints or chocks (which are attachable to gratings) when these restraints or chocks are not in use.